S3 Ep 18: Rachel and Keith talk about stage life, starting with how they met on a musical theater production. Rachel talks about her experience on stage as a performer, how her career has taken off and the ups and downs of the musical theater industry. They recount memories of performances as well as stories of everyday life including relationships. Rachel talks about her passions about being on stage and how her career has taken her to some amazing places. Find the transcript here.  Disability Empowerment Now is produced by Pascal Albright.

This podcast episode contains explicit language, mature themes, and content that may not be suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the podcast platform. We recommend that you use headphones and ensure your environment is appropriate for the content discussed. By continuing to listen, you acknowledge and accept the explicit nature of this episode. Nina G is a versatile talent, excelling as a comedian, professional speaker, comedy historical consultant, and the accomplished author of “Stutterer Interrupted” and “Bay […]

S3 Ep 16: Shari Bookstaff had fulfilled her lifelong childhood dreams and was a tenured marine biology professor near San Francisco. She was thriving in her career and her personal life when sporadic dizzy spells and nausea led to a diagnosed benign brain tumor. Even though this was a large tumor that had to be removed immediately, it would be an “easy, routine surgery.” Then, the unthinkable happened. A 9-day hospital stay turned into 9 months of grueling rehabilitation. A stroke following the surgery took away Shari’s ability to breathe, eat, talk, hear and move. After several weeks in the […]

Andrew J. “Andy” Imparato began work in February of 2020 as the Executive Director of Disability Rights California (DRC) after a high-impact 26-year career in Washington, DC in disability advocacy and policy. DRC is a $44 million legal services agency with more than 320 staff and 26 offices that serve Californians with all types of disabilities across the age spectrum. Since joining DRC, Imparato has led advocacy efforts to protect the California disability community from health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; helped shape Governor Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging as part of his Administration’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee and […]

Richard has a diverse background as an actor, director, musician, and in education. He has worked in Regional and New York theater, showcasing his skills in both administratively and creatively  — from Neil Simon to Shakespeare. In addition to his artistic pursuits. Richard serves on the Board of Directors for Theater Breaking Through Barriers, the only off-broadway professional theatre organization dedicated to advancing artists and developing audiences of people with disabilities and altering the misperceptions surrounding disability. He is an expert in New York State and Federal procedural court law and litigation practice. Richard currently resides in West Haven, CT, and […]

Mr. Peter Hughes has a long career in athletics as a coach and administrator, as well as nonprofit, sales, and fund development. Since 2017, he has served as Director of Adaptive Athletics at the University of Arizona. UArizona’s Adaptive Athletics program is the largest program of its kind and has produced 40+ Paralympians. As director, he supervises a large professional staff and cultivates relationships with donors who support program operations, as well as other community contacts to increase awareness of wheelchair and adaptive sport. During his tenure as director, Mr. Hughes he has tripled the number of enrolled student athletes […]

Rio Finnegan graduated in Film from Santa Fe University of Art & Design, to which he was awarded the Robert Redford Milagro Initiative Scholarship. In his time there he worked on many projects under many titles. Making films such as Hello World and 1-900 in his time there. 1-900 had the pleasure to be accepted into The El Paso Media Fest and The National Film Festival For Talented Youth and is still being considered for a few other festivals.      He has worked on a bunch of films as an Assistant Director and Producer, like the films, Ding Dongs and CC […]

Aubrie Therrien is the Executive Artistic Director of The EPIC Players, dedicated to creating neuro-diverse opportunities and communities through the arts. She has been an actress regionally and in New York City for 20 years and holds a BFA in Theater from Longwood University and a Masters of Public Health from New York University. She has worked with the neuro-diverse community through theater for several years and is a passionate advocate for inclusion in the arts. She was recognized as New Yorker of the Week by News One New York for her work and has been published in Autism Spectrum […]

Andrew Marcum, Ph.D., brings an unparalleled passion for Disability Studies to his role as the Academic Director and Distinguished Lecturer at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. A trailblazer in the field, Dr. Marcum served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at SPS from 2016 to 2022, concurrently acting as the dynamic Program Coordinator for the Center for Self-Advocacy in Buffalo, NY. Venturing beyond traditional academia, Dr. Marcum’s expertise earned him a prestigious dissertation research fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. He further enriched his experience as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Center […]

After a B.A. in English from American University in Washington D.C. and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Instituto Allende, University of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Scott taught literature and composition at Baruch College for fifteen years in New York City, while freelancing as a photographer (scottseldinphotography.com). In 1982, Scott wrote Yes, Boss, published by Blythe-Pennington, LTD. After moving to Santa Fe, he worked as director of Mountain View School on the Adolescent Psychiatric Unit of St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, followed by eleven years as academic coordinator and personal development coach at The College of Santa […]